Stateless children are denied access to education, healthcare and protection under Malaysian law, making them vulnerable to poverty, violation, exploitation and trafficking. Stateless children have done nothing wrong but are denied basic needs.

Geometry Global’s campaign, Bring to Light for Voice of the Children, uses a visual device to create awareness of the plight of these children and give people the experience of changing the lives of these children, while it also documented the support of those already committed to helping.

According to the National Registration Department (NRD), a child’s citizenship status is determined by the parents’ marital status and their citizenship status at the time of birth. The NRD also mentions that having a birth certificate is not an indication that someone is a Malaysian citizen. The campaign aims to repeal this regulation.

Attendees at the launch event were invited to sign their name on a succession of black electronic canvases in solidarity of the cause. A special pen containing conductive ink linked two ends of a circuit together and completed it, enabling the face of a stateless child to ‘come out of the darkness’ in LED lights.

The unique works of art each signature produced are being auctioned and proceeds from the sales will go towards efforts to get stateless children registered and on the path to citizenship.

The public can also add their signatures in support of the campaign via the Bring to Light mobile website at www.bring2light.net.  Users simply sign with their finger to make the face of a child light up and appear from the darkness. The signed portrait of the child can be shared on social media to show how powerful each signature can be in helping these children become visible.

The agency also created a campaign film on Facebook, that draws attention to both the plight of these children and the petition.

“The ultimate goal of this campaign is to reduce the number of stateless children in Malaysia, and to raise awareness on the need for birth registration. Parents need to be aware that children may risk becoming stateless if they are not registered at birth,” stated Sharmila Sekaran, president of Voice of the Children, who gave the welcome address at the launch.

“We estimate that there are between 50,000 to 150,000 unregistered children in Malaysia, and this number will continue to grow if nothing is done about it. We hope to continue being able to work closely with the government to solve this issue, and to give these young ones a future they can look forward to.”

Dr. Hartini Zainudin, vice president of Voice of the Children, added, “The fight to give stateless children a country to call home resonates strongly with me, not just as a child activist, but particularly as a mother. Although my daughter has a birth certificate, she is still not a citizen of Malaysia.”